Definitions
An unambiguous and generally accepted definition of environmental governance is not available. Yet, most agree that the concept of environmental governance includes (i) various institutions, rules, and actors are included across various levels and (ii) that it is intellectually rooted in developments on the idea of governance.
According to Lemos and Agrawal (2006: 298), “environmental governance” refers to “…the set of regulatory processes, mechanisms and organizations through which political actors influence environmental actions and outcomes.” Environmental action is influenced by the interaction of institutions and actors at various levels, both producing and being influenced by environmental agreements, policies and legislation, decision-making structures and processes, incentives and disincentives, as well as by vari...
References
Ansell C, Gash A (2007) Collaborative governance in theory and practice. J Public Adm Res Theory 18:543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
Armitage DR, Plummer R, Berkes F et al (2009) Adaptive co-management for social-ecological complexity. Front Ecol Environ 7:95–102. https://doi.org/10.1890/070089
Asaduzzaman M, Virtanen P (2016) Governance theories and models. In: Global encyclopedia of public administration, public policy, and governance. Springer, New York, pp 1–13
Auer MR (2000) Who participates in global environmental governance? Partial answers from international relations theory. Policy Sci 33:155–180
Azizi D, Biermann F, Kim RE (2019) Policy integration for sustainable development through multilateral environmental agreements. Glob Gov 25:445–475. https://doi.org/10.1163/19426720-02503005
Berkes F (2009) Evolution of co-management: role of knowledge generation, bridging organizations and social learning. J Environ Manag 90:1692–1702
Bevir M (2012) Governance: a very short introduction, 1st edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK
Bevir M (2016) Governance. Br. Online
Biermann F, Pattberg P (2008) Global energy governance: taking stock, moving forward. Annu Rev Environ Resour 33:277–294. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.environ.33.050707.085733
Biermann F, Abbott K, Andresen S et al (2012) Transforming governance and institutions for global sustainability: key insights from the Earth System Governance Project. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 4:51–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.01.014
Biermann F, Stevens C, Bernstein S, et al (2014) Integrating governance into the Sustainable Development Goals policy brief #3
Biermann F, Kanie N, Kim RE (2017) Global governance by goal-setting: the novel approach of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 26–27:26–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.01.010
Bowen KJ, Cradock-Henry NA, Koch F et al (2017) Implementing the “Sustainable Development Goals”: towards addressing three key governance challenges-collective action, trade-offs, and accountability. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 26–27:90–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.05.002
Bridge G, Perreault T (2009) Environmental governance. In: Castree N, Demeritt D, Liverman D, Rhoads B (eds) A companion to environmental geography. Blackwell Publishing, Chichester, pp 475–497
Brown K (2009) Human development and environmental governance: a reality check. In: Adger WN, Jordan A (eds) Governing sustainability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 32–49
Bulkeley H, Mol APJ (2003) Participation and environmental governance: consensus, ambivalence and debate. Environ Values 12:143–154. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327103129341261
Bulkeley H, Betsill M, Betsill MM (2010) Rethinking sustainable cities: multilevel governance and the “urban” politics of climate change rethinking sustainable cities: multilevel governance and the “urban” politics of climate change. Environ Politics 14:42–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/0964401042000310178
Burch S, Gupta A, Inoue CYA et al (2019) New directions in earth system governance research. Earth Syst Gov 1:100006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esg.2019.100006
Cash DW, Adger WN, Berkes F et al (2006) Scale and cross-scale dynamics: governance and information in a multilevel world. Ecol Soc 11. https://doi.org/10.5751/es-01759-110208
Conley A, Moote MA (2003) Evaluating collaborative natural resource management. Soc Nat Resour 16:371–386. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920390190032
de Wit MP (2018) Environmental governance, the human person and social order. A reinterpretation. Inaug Lect Stellenbosch Univ, 7 June 2018, pp 1–14
de Wit MP (2019) Omgewingsregeerkunde, die menslike persoon en die sosiale orde: ’n hervertolking [Environmental governance, the human person and social order]. LitNet Akad Jaargang 16:1–18
Delmas MA, Young OR (2009) Governance for the environment: new perspectives
Duit A, Galaz V (2008) Governance and complexity-emerging issues for governance theory. Gov An Int J Policy, Adm Institutions 21:311–335
Elder M, Bengtsson M, Akenji L (2016) An optimistic analysis of the means of implementation for Sustainable Development Goals: thinking about goals as means. Sustainability 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8090962
Elliott L (2018) Environmentalism. Encycl. Br
Evans J (2012) Environmental governance. Routledge, London/New York
Falkner R (2003) Private environmental governance and international relations: exploring the links. Glob Environ Polit 3:72–87
Florini A, Pauli M (2018) Collaborative governance for the Sustainable Development Goals. Asia Pacific Policy Stud 5:583–598. https://doi.org/10.1002/app5.252
Folke C, Carpenter S, Elmqvist T et al (2002) Resilience and sustainable development: building adaptive capacity in a world of transformations. Ambio 31:437–440. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-31.5.437
Galaz V, Biermann F, Crona B et al (2012) ‘Planetary boundaries’-exploring the challenges for global environmental governance. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 4:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2012.01.006
Gellers JC (2016) Crowdsourcing global governance: Sustainable Development Goals, civil society, and the pursuit of democratic legitimacy. Int Environ Agreements Polit Law Econ 16:415–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-016-9322-0
Gupta J (2015) Normative issues in global environmental governance: connecting climate change, water and forests. J Agric Environ Ethics 28:413–433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-014-9509-8
Haas PM, Kanie N, Murphy CN (2004) Conclusion: institutional design and institutional reform for sustainable development. In: Kanie N, Haas PM (eds) Emerging forces in environmental governance. United Nations University Press, Tokyo/New York/Paris, pp 263–181
Hahn RW (1990) The political economy of environmental regulation: towards a unifying framework. Public Choice 65:21–47
Hahn RW (2000) The impact of economics on environmental policy. J Environ Econ Manag. https://doi.org/10.1006/jeem.1999.1119
Heywood A (1997) Politics. Palgrave, New York
Hsueh L, Darnall N (2017) Alternative and nonregulatory approaches to environmental governance. J Public Adm Res Theory:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muw042
IBPES (2019) The global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Summary for policymakers. IBPES, Bonn
IPCC (2018) Summary for policymakers SPM. In: Masson-Delmotte V, Zhai P, Pörtner H-O et al (eds) Global warming of 1.5 °C. An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change (in press)
Jordan A, Wurzel RKW, Zito AR (2003) “New” instruments of environmental governance: patterns and pathways of change. Environ Politics 12:1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/714000665
Jordan A, Wurzel RKW, Zito A (2005) The rise of “new” policy instruments in comparative perspective: has governance eclipsed government? Polit Stud 53:477–496
Kemp R, Parto S, Gibson RB (2005) Governance for sustainable development: moving from theory to practice. Int J Sustain Dev 8:12–30. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijsd.2005.007372
Kirchgässner G, Schneider F (2003) On the political economy of environmental policy. Public Choice 115:369–396. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024289627887
Kooiman J, Jentoft S (2009) Meta-governance: values, norms and principles, and the making of hard choices. Public Adm 87:818–836. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2009.01780.x
Kotzé L (2017) Environmental law and governance for the Anthropocene. Hart Publishing, Oxford/Portland
Lemos MC, Agrawal A (2006) Environmental governance. Annu Rev Environ Resour 31:297–325. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.31.042605.135621
Loorbach D (2010) Transition management for sustainable development: a prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework. Gov An Int J Policy, Adm Institutions 23:161–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2009.01471.x
Maes MJA, Jones KE, Toledano MB, Milligan B (2019) Mapping synergies and trade-offs between urban ecosystems and the Sustainable Development Goals. Environ Sci Pol 93:181–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.010
Manfredo MJ, Teel TL, Sullivan L, Dietsch AM (2017) Values, trust, and cultural backlash in conservation governance: the case of wildlife management in the United States. Biol Conserv 214:303–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.07.032
Margerum RD (2008) A typology of collaboration efforts in environmental management. Environ Manag 41:487–500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9067-9
Mazower M (2012) Governing the World. The History of an Idea. Penguin, London
Meuleman L, Niestroy I (2015) Common but differentiated governance: a metagovernance approach to make the SDGs work. Sustainability 7:12295–12321. https://doi.org/10.3390/su70912295
Mitchell RB (2020) International Environmental Agreements (IEA) Database Project. https://iea.uoregon.edu/. Accessed 6 Feb 2020
Morrison TH, Adger WN, Brown K et al (2019) The black box of power in polycentric environmental governance. Glob Environ Chang 57:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101934
Newig J, Fritsch O (2009) Environmental governance: participatory, multi-level – and effective? Environ Policy Gov 19:197–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.509
OECD (2017) Getting governments organised to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals summary report and next steps, New York
Ostrom E (2000) Collective action and the evolution of social norms. J Econ Perspect 14:137–158
Ostrom E (2005) Understanding institutional diversity. Princeton University Press, Princeton/Oxford
Rittel HWJ, Webber MM (1973) Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sci 4:155–169
Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K et al (2009) A safe operating space for humanity. Nature 461:472–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a
Schlosberg D (2007) Defining Environmental Justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Scrase JI, Sheate WR (2002) Integration and integrated approaches to assessment: what do they mean for the environment? J Environ Policy Plan 4:275–294
Stafford-Smith M, Griggs D, Gaffney O et al (2017) Integration: the key to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustain Sci Sci 12:911–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-016-0383-3
Stavins R (1998) Market-based environmental policies. Resour Futur Discuss Pap 98–26:1–36
Steffen W, Rockström J, Richardson K et al (2018) Trajectories of the earth system in the anthropocene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:8252–8259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1810141115
Stevens C (2018) Scales of integration for sustainable development governance. Int J Sustain Dev World Ecol 25:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2017.1282893
United Nations (2020) Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable development knowledge platform. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1300. Accessed 6 Feb 2020
van der Heijden J (2012) Voluntary environmental governance arrangements. Environ Politics 21:486–509. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2012.671576
Vatn A (2016) Environmental governance: institutions, policies and actions. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) Our common future. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Xue L, Weng L, Yu H (2018) Addressing policy challenges in implementing Sustainable Development Goals through an adaptive governance approach: a view from transitional China. Sustain Dev 26:150–158. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1726
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
de Wit, M.P. (2020). Environmental Governance: Complexity and Cooperation in the Implementation of the SDGs. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Affordable and Clean Energy. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_25-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71057-0_25-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71057-0
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences